Spring Term 2013 Courses

AST 102 Introduction to Japanese II (JPN)

Offered: Typically every Spring Term
Continued emphasis on Japanese oral/aural communication skills and an introduction to the Japanese written language.

1 Course

AST 104 Introduction to Japanese IV (JPN)

Instructor: Nathan Patton

Prerequisite: JPN/AST 103 w/ C or higher or Permission of Instructor

Offered: Typically every Spring Term

Completion of the two-term intermediate level of Japanese language instruction; continued practice of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, fully integrated with culture.

1 Course

AST 123 History of Japan (HIS)

Instructor: Robert Foster

Offered: Typically every Spring Term

Japan has developed from an isolated chain of islands at the edge of East Asia into a modern economic giant. Through close reading of documents, focused analytical writing, open discussion and lecture, we will examine the complexity of the culture that gave rise to Zen Buddhism, the samurai, and Japan’s current position as one of the world’s most powerful economies. Fulfills International (Non-Western) Perspective requirement.

1 Course

AST 186-VM Environmental Issues in China (SENS)

This course will examine cultural, economic, historical, and political issues related to sustainable development, environmental policy, and economic growth in modern China. In its effort to maintain economic growth, the Chinese government has pursued a resource-intensive development strategy that has resulted in an unprecedented deterioration of the state’s natural environment. Faced with this daunting reality, the central government has embarked on an arduous journey that seeks to develop a system of policies and institutions that can attempt to alleviate the stress on the natural environment while at the same time not jeopardize the state’s visions of economic prosperity and social modernization. In order to understand the complexities associated with China’s environmental affairs, this course will investigate the opportunities and constraints faced by the variety of social and political actors involved in the critical task of balancing economic development and environmental sustainability. Fulfills International (Non-Western) Perspective requirement.

1 Course

AST 204 Yoga (PED)

Instructor: Stephanie Woodie

Prerequisite: PEH 100 or Permission of Instructor

Offered: Typically every Spring Term

A study of the asanas (poses) included in the practice of Hatha Yoga. The focus will be on connecting breath with movement, developing ease and comfort in poses and developing skills in using yoga as a tool for increased self-awareness. The content will include basic history of yoga and asanas. Students will be required to purchase a yoga mat that they will keep throughout the term.

1 Course

AST 286-CW Visualizing Gender: Women in East Asian Art (ARH/WGS)

This course explores women as creators, patrons, and subjects of traditional East Asian art. Particular attention is paid to issues of class and gender, as well as the influence of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism as they have profoundly affected the roles and presentations of women in Chinese and Japanese visual culture. We will also address the issues pertinent to the study of women in cultural representation, and examine how textual narratives shape the perceptions of gender and identity.

AST 286-UG Gender and Empire (HIS/WGS)

AST 308 Religion in Japanese Literature & Film (REL)

Instructor: Jeffrey L. Richey

Prerequisite: 1 prior AST course or permission

Offered: Typically alternate years (next offered Spring 2015).

From earliest times to the present, Japanese narrative has recorded passions both sacred and secular, often expressing a sense of their entanglement and conflict with one another. Each time that it is offered, AST/REL 308 entails the close study of selected texts, practices, or experiences of one or more Asian religious traditions. This term’s section is devoted to the exploration of three intertwined types of religious concern in Japanese literature and film: the human relationship with the natural world, the meaning and end of suffering, and the connections between sensuality and the sacred. Sources (in English translation) to be examined include dramas, novels, poetry, and prose narratives from the past thousand years, as well as classic and contemporary films. Fulfills International (Non-Western) and Religion Perspective requirements.

This course examines the transition of Japan from a semi-feudal, warrior-dominated shogunate in the early nineteenth century, to a twenty-first century constitutional monarchy. As Japan opened to the West in its desire to remain uncolonized, the Japanese were confronted with the tension between maintaining traditions and adopting Western ideas. Through the term we will use a variety of sources (literature, film, secondary historical works, etc.) to examine this issue. Fulfills International (Non-Western) Perspective requirement.

1 Course

AST 401 Senior Seminar in Asian Studies

Instructor: Jeffrey L. Richey

Prerequisite: Senior standing, or permission of instructor

Offered: Annually

Through common readings and independent work, students will explore various views of Asia, past and present, from within Asia and from without. Through the common readings, students will deal with central questions regarding geographic visions of Asia, the reality or unreality of “Asia,” key issues for the region, etc. Through regular presentations of ongoing individual projects, students will learn from each other about diverse Asia-related issues. For example, one day, students might all read an address written by the President of the American Association of Asian Studies, followed by individual presentations on aspects of Shinto religion, followed by the politics of the partition of India, followed by current concerns with North Korea. The course is intentionally open-ended and free-flowing both to encompass specific student interests and to develop the ability to think broadly about Asia.